A Wet Carpet May Be Dangerous To One'S Health

Many may not be aware of this fact but a wet carpet is actually hazardous to people who are prone to allergies.

We discovered our wet carpet when my son started to sneeze every time he passed by the glass cabinet. Unknown to us, our roof was leaking but we failed to notice it because the water from the leak would slide down through the walls right behind the old cabinet. It had been raining steadily for some time already and all the water from the leak had accumulated on the floor, absorbed by the carpet. It was only when my son started to exhibit allergic reactions that we noticed that our carpet was kind of wet and smelly, and we deduced that he got the symptoms from being constantly exposed to the stuffy wet carpet. Upon investigating, we found out that the whole portion of the carpet under the cabinet, as well as the area around it was completely drenched in water. The wet carpet by now gave off a foul odor. What's more, water had stayed under the carpet for quite some time that by now, some portions of the carpet were removed and the spongy padding underneath was separated. It was a good thing that our carpet was not permanently glued to the floor, so we would be able to take it out easily enough.

First, we unloaded the glass cabinet of its contents and transferred it away from the area with the wet carpet. We rolled the wet carpet and with the help of several people, took it outside to the cemented portion of the driveway. We then unrolled it flat under the heat of the sun. It was only then that we saw the full extent of the damage. The inner portion was already full of mold and mildews. I remembered a good friend of mine who also had a similar problem some time ago and asked for a few ideas on how to save the carpet if it was still possible. She recommended several methods, one of which we followed.

Using a garden hose with a strong nozzle spray, we sort of "swept" the carpet with the water. Then we turned the carpet over with some help and did the same "sweeping" on the back part. As we struggled to maneuver the extremely heavy wet carpet, some of the fibers at the end portions of the carpet where water had accumulated were removed. So we decided to cut off the disintegrating portions of the carpet and salvage the main body which was actually still quite large. Brushing water to the sides, the upper, and the bottom parts of the carpet would help in removing as much of the old water as possible. We then mixed a solution of chlorine bleach with a gallon of water, making sure to protect our hands first with rubber gloves. Then we poured the mixture to the carpet portion by portion and let it stay on the carpet for a few minutes. After that, we rinsed the carpet many times to completely remove the bleach.

The last part of the wet carpet rehabilitation was using a wet-and-dry vacuum cleaner to assist in removing water from the carpet. We were lucky enough that it did not rain again until the carpet was totally dry. We had to turn the carpet over several times to speed up drying. Carpets must be thoroughly dry before it can be used again to avoid mildew growth and to completely eliminate the foul odor.

Whew! Before we were able to put the carpet back in the house, a few days had already passed, and our hands and back were sore. Indeed, a wet carpet can be hazardous to one's health, whether directly, or because of the hard work it takes making it usable again.

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